Posts from Letter to Ubisoft

Another same last version

Dear Fabrice Cambounet,

This letter is written by a group of HoMM fans from the "Heroes' Corner" forums. We decided to write this letter due to some quite inappropriate things we discovered in Heroes 5. We feel that the Heroes style and atmosphere which have been developed during previous four games are missing in the 5th game. Some features influencing playability are quite abysmal, especially game interface, which is very inconvenient and uninformative. We wish to make a set of suggestions which would, in our opinion, greatly improve the game atmosphere and make gameplay and playing experience more convenient. As well, our suggestion list contains some features which proved to be very useful in previous HoMM games (especially HoMM3 and 4) but are absent in HoMM5 for some unknown reason.
We understand that any global changes in the game are now impossible to make and we don’t propose such global changes. We think that the features and changes we suggest can be incorporated in the game (minor ones in patches, heavier ones in add-ons) and (with minor exceptions) wouldn’t affect neither game balance nor inner game mechanics. In our opinion, realization of our suggestions would help Heroes fans as well as newbies to familiarize themselves with the game. As well, this would improve the playability and uncover the potential of the game.
We hope that our wishes and suggestions won’t be left unattended.

Strategic map
1. Camera should be improved. The possibility to arrange the camera according to cardinal points should be added, probably by using designations around the minimap as buttons. Camera settings (direction, slope, zoom) should be remembered for each hero. Minimap enlargement, with showing all artifacts, resources, heroes, mines and cities in pictograms, should be possible, this mode proved to be very useful in HoMM3.
2. Monster icons (appearing after right-click on neutral stack or enemy hero) should be enlarged. Right-click on an enemy hero should reveal his/her picture, not only name.
3. When treasure chest is taken, current hero’s experience and level-up requirement should be displayed, in order to make the choice between exp and gold more convenient. If level cap is already reached, gold should be chosen automatically, without the choice window.
4. Kingdom overview window should be returned, as in previous HoMM games.
5. Heroes should be able to enter objects on strategic map (dwellings, fountains, etc) by pressing Spacebar.
6. The rearing cursor at the end of the hero’s path should be removed, it’s really disorienting. The ”number of turns to reach the object” indicator should display up to ”4+” or ”5+” (instead of current ”3+” maximum).
7. Heroes icons at the bottom of strategic map should contain not only movement bar but also mana bar. Both bars should display 'plus' symbols if the number of movepoints/manapoints exceeds some maximum value; similar way of visualization was used in previous HoMM games.
8. The old system of resource picking should be returned (maybe optionally), with the popup window displaying type and number of resource picked.
9. The variability of objects should be extended: new skill and stat enhancers, treasuries, etc. Large space of official maps should be used more productively.
10. Artifact models on the strategic map should be more distinguishable, as now it’s quite difficult to understand what artifact lies there (one needs to zoom the camera or right-click, that's inconvenient).
11. Sleep mode should be added, to turn off the ”remaining movepoints” check for selected heroes.
12. The option should be added to turn off enemy movement display. Sometimes it takes very long time, without providing any important information.

II. Combat mode and spellbook
1. One should be able to STABLY highlight any unit on ATB scale. It would be useful, for example, for comparing movement range of several units.
2. The information where (on ATB scale) the unit(s) would be moved after casting the spell/ability, or after a Wait command, should be displayed. Or maybe each unit icon on ATB scale should display time (in fractions of round) remaining before its next turn. Anyway, a player should be able to predict consequences of his/her actions in order to build any long-time tactical plans; now it’s absolutely impossible. Maybe there should be some hotkey for switching ATB scale between current mode and the old one (the one we've seen in open beta).
3. All unit stats (attack, initiative, morale, etc) should be given with detailed description of how are they formed: by hero stats, artifacts, spells, abilities, etc. In unit stats screen (displayed by right-click on the unit) current and default stats should be displayed, like it was, for example, in HoMM3.
4. Random factors during initial unit placement on ATB scale should be decreased. At least units with lower initiative should not be able to move for the first time before units with higher initiative; the existing system often turns tactical combat into some kind of roulette. For units with equal initiative, the attacking hero should have some advantage.
5. Buttons should be added for Wait and Special attack commands. (Special attack is melee attack for shooters and melee attack without return for blood beasts/furies.) ATB scale scroll button should be enlarged, as now it’s too easy to miss the button, click on nearby unit icon instead and attack that unit when it’s unnecessary and undesirable.
6. Units immune to spell which the player is about to cast should not be highlighted.
7. For quick combat, the option ”combat without magic use” should be added.
8. The animations during the combat should be speeded up, especially for casters. Maybe animation speed during the combat should be made adjustable in combat options.
9. Spellbook should contain 12 spells per screen, instead of current 6. Now one often spends too much time to scroll through spellbook to find a spell he/she needs.
10. Spells in the spellbook should be arranged by level, not by acquisition time. Spell icons should contain some indication of None-Basic-Advanced-Expert casting level, for example like it was in HoMM3.
11. One should be able to see spell damage BEFORE entering combat. This would help, for example, to choose artifacts for combat, and sometimes to make decision not to enter combat at all.
12. Unit info screen should be improved, for example similar to what was in HoMM4. In one screen all creature abilities and current spells should be displayed, with detailed descriptions at cursor pointing.
13. Summon elemental spell should be able to summon the type of elemental chosen by the player, maybe as some hero ability.
14. War Machines skill (or some ability within the skill) should enable the player to control citadel/castle tower and turrets during the siege. War machines skill should increase number of First Aid Tent healings (number of resurrections/poisonings may remain unchanged, 3). Otherwise the skill and especially the Tent are quite worthless.
15. Combat camera settings (slope, direction, zoom) should be remembered for each player.

III. Hero screen and hero development
1. Number of sub-screens should be lowered. For example: one sub-screen might display hero’s main stats, army and artifacts; the other one - skills and abilities; the last one - biography. Or a single screen might display all necessary info but biography.
2. Some version of skill tree should be implemented into the game and viewable at level-ups. Now one needs to alt-tab to SkillWheel, which is quite inconvenient.
3. There should be one more slot for abilities and perks - four slots for each skill instead of three (basic skill level allows to study one ability, advanced level allows to study two abilities and/or perks and expert level allows to study four abilities and/or perks). This change wouldn't modify multiplayer balance much, because all players will benefit from it the same way, and in campaigns experience cap should be loosened to provide the experience for taking up additional slots.
4. Hero doll (i.e. picture of hero's body, on which artifact slots are placed - like the ones in HoMM 3 or HoMM 4) should be added, for more visual and convenient demonstration of artifacts used.
5. Number of artifact slots should be increased (probably 1-2 pocket slots for items like horseshoe or bag of gold). Assembling artifacts should be added, like it was made in HoMM3 SoD and HoMM4.
6. Amount of experience, necessary for a level-up, should be displayed over the green experience bar (constantly, without mouse clicks).

IV. City Screen
1. Build tree should be improved. Building icons should be enlarged and more distinguishable, color indication should be used more intensively (for example: gray – impossible to build in this scenario, green – can be built, blue – can be upgraded, red – insufficient resources, etc).
2. Number of gold/resources needed to train/upgrade creatures should be displayed even if it’s currently insufficient.
3. In the Hero hire screen, a single screen should display all hero stats and specialization.
4. The single Mage guild screen should display all spells.
5. ”Flying camera mode” at city entering should be optionally turnable off.
6. 'Buy all creatures' button shouldn't buy unupgraded creatures, if upgraded ones are available, but unaffordable.

V. Multiplayer.
1. Battle timing should be optional - or, maybe, it just should be turned off for major battles (like city sieges or big fights with enemy heroes).
2. There should be a 'surrender' button, but game shouldn't consider every disconnect a defeat.
3. One should be able to lay down a way for his heroes duting his opponent's turn - and, of cause, to look through his city and heroes screens.

VI. Miscellaneous
1. In many cases cursor pointing reveals some brief info and subsequent right-click – full info. Brief info is unnecessary, cursor pointing should be enough for full info displaying.
2. In scenario/campaign choose menu, some kind of picture and map should be added, like it was in HoMM3, current menu is too spartan. In scenario descriptions, hero level cup should be shown.
3. AI should be improved (both strategic and tactical). Cheating with money (AI receiving enormous amount of gold every turn) should be lowered; give AI big starting bonus and let it progress normally. AI should fight serious monster staks 'honestly', without given odds.
4. The possibility to change artifacts for money/resources/experience should be added.
5. More neutral (not belonging to any city type) monsters should be added.
6. The option for choosing autosave frequency (daily, weekly, monthly) should be added. Autosave takes too much time on slow machines.
7. Different cursors should be added, for example for different races, maybe as an option.
8. Garrisons should have some walls or other defences, otherwise battling them is absolutely similar to battling neutral stacks and they loose any strategical meaning.
9. Long battles should decrease hero ability to move that turn: for example, every real turn of a tactical fight should consume 50 move points (but not below zero, of cause). This would limit fans of 'one-pixie-against-eight-hundred-zombies' fighting.
10. Academy bug must be fixed: hero with a pendant of mastery is currently able to generate infinite recources by creating artifacts for half-price and crashing them...

Best regards,

they wrote a letter in English. here it is.